Second Chance
by Disclosing
Summary: On a stormy night, after the 4th shinobi war, Neji shows up at TenTen's doorstep but wasn't he supposed to be dead? As he struggles to adapt to the new environment and grasp the nature of his return, he discovers he left something behind...
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first fanfic, I don't know what I'm doing...sorry :P_

* * *

It was a cold and stormy night, and for some reason unbeknownst to him, Neji felt it before he was even there. The flash of light washed off his eyes and he barely registered the rumble that rolled off the sky. He became aware of the rain first, of the tiny drops that punctured his cheeks, then the blackness engulfed him but the sensation was significantly different from what he remembered. There was no pain for once, and his neck was pulsing, even more so now that he'd taken notice of it. He sat up, slowly taking in the familiar surroundings, it was weird because Neji distinctly remembered dying. Did he understand it wrong? Did they actually manage to heal him and bring him back to Konoha somehow? He sat there, undisturbed by the rain pouring down his face, soaking his clothes. What day was it today? It seemed like the tempest had washed away all the remnants of war and the night was now, storm aside, awfully quiet.

* * *

Tenten was taking care of her whistling tea pot when came the knock on the door. It was pretty late and the weather was nasty for someone to venture to edge of the forest, where her house was. She thought it must have been Lee coming to check on her, especially after that huge lightning struck down near the cemetery.

"I'm coming, I' coming," she said, rubbing her hands on the apron and hurrying towards the door. When she swung it open though, Lee wasn't there. Tenten jumped at the sight then screamed and then cursed herself for being loud when the kid might have been asleep already. Her knees buckled for a moment and she leaned against the doorframe, needing support, her hand was still clutched over her mouth but her lips were moving against her fingers and mumbled a faint, "Neji?" His hair dripped water from all ends and the overgrown bangs stuck unceremoniously to his face, his clothes where ragged and holed where the wounds had been, and clung to him like a second skin. Tenten thought it must have been one of her sick dreams. So she reached out a tentative hand and gasped when her trembling fingers settled on the solid material of his jacket.

"TenTen," his voice made her gaze snap up to his eyes, "Can I come in? The weather's awful outside."

TenTen shook her head, "Ah, of course. I'm so sorry, come inside."

After locking the door behind them, she led him to the bathroom, not even bothering to check if this was an illusion to dispel. She was reluctant to touch him though, it felt weird and Tenten was scared that if she did, he would disappear and she'd wake up in her bed, alone again. "Here," she said as she filled up the tub and then, as soon as he shut the bathroom door, she ran to the bedroom upstairs. The kid was still there, TenTen breathed a sigh of relief and sat at the edge of the mattress, her fingers ghosted through his black bangs careful not to wake him.

When TenTen headed downstairs she instantly realized that she couldn't hold up to her mental promise of finding Neji some dry clothes. He stood there, in front of her with nothing more than a tiny towel around his waist, he didn't blush because Hyuga Neji never blushed, but his lips were set in a frown and his eyes looked astray from her face. "I'm sorry…uhm, my clothes…" It was clear that she couldn't lend him any of hers, his shoulders were too broad, his chest thick and taut to fit even in the oversized robe that she had thought of. True, she had a few spares of Lee's shirts in the back of her closet which she kept for when he stayed over, but Neji had a whole other built and the kid's clothes well, they were kid's size. Her hands felt suddenly warm and twitched, Neji was desperately reaching for her but she ran off before his fingers could graze her arm. When she returned, TenTen smartly used the blankets piled up against her chest as a shield to keep Neji away. _What am I doing?_ She reprimanded herself while she prepared the couch, this was Neji, she missed him so much, she _wanted_ to touch him. But he felt so much more real than her other dreams and he felt so much more himself than her usual, poor recollections that maybe he wasn't?

Neji had sat on the couch in the meantime, his legs crossed and he was pulling at the towel to fix it. TenTen patted on the pile of blankets next that she settled next to him. "Use these for tonight, tomorrow I'll find you clothes that fit you first thing in the morning."

"Mine will probably be dry by tomorrow anyway," he nudged towards the chairs laid out in front of the fireplace where his clothes hung, "They're a bit holed but they'll do the job."

"Ah, but like you said, they're all ragged, maybe I can fix them? Do you want some tea, I was making some but the water's probably cold now, oh I can heat it up again, and food, you must be hungry I have -"

"TenTen" he said, and she immediately fell on the couch next to him, still a bit far, her hands nestled together and her eyes fixed on his like he was something to defend against. "You're fretting," he finished, and his voice, deep and calm, his gaze soft, was more than TenTen could handle at the moment.

Her eyes started burning and her throat was suddenly constricted, "Are you alive?" She whispered.

Neji reached for her arm, this time she didn't move away, his fingers clasped her wrist ever so gently, and he brought her hand to rest against his neck. The pulse throbbed underneath her palm and TenTen gasped and lingered, to make sure. Then, slowly and unbidden, her hand moved lower, down the curve of his shoulder, down the smooth plains of his chest until her fingers reached the edge of one of his scars and brushed against it. It was a fleeting touch but it was more than enough for TenTen, she retracted her hand, curling in into a fist against her heart. And suddenly she blinked, realizing that she wasn't looking at Neji anymore, no rather she was staring at her thighs and her vision was blurred, her cheeks were wet with hot streaks of tears. Neji reached out to her again, this time though his arm encompassed her back and he pulled until her head was resting on his chest. "Hear my heart, TenTen, it's beating."

So she leaned in and listened, and she heard it. It was hammering against her temple and it was beating, fast, erratic.


	2. Chapter 2

For as long as he'd been alive, Neji was sure an early bird but this morning for some reason, he was still fast asleep when the sound of the door closing woke him up. His head rose from the pillow rather unwillingly, his bleary eyes made out the shape of TenTen at the end of the couch, waving at him. "-ji…Nejii," she was murmuring. Neji blinked to clear his vision and only then noticed the two people in tow standing behind TenTen, "Someone's here to see you-"

He scrambled to stand in haste, the blankets had tangled up in his towel and almost accidentally yanked it off in the process. Neji caught it before it could expose him but TenTen's jaw was already slack, her hands about to cover her eyes, and his uncle was regarding him with his head bend to the side and a painful expression like he just bit his tongue. Neji cleared his voice. He looked down, trying to fix the towel as best he could, the thing was awfully small and it still hung precariously despite Neji kept it fastened on his hip with one hand. "..Uhm, Uncle," he stated lamely. And then he realized his state, what it must have looked like to find man, naked, in single woman's house. "It's not-" he tried again, but Hiashi waved him off and took a few steps in his direction. Neji gripped the towel tighter, mindful not to let it slip another inch.

"Neji, can I touch you?"

Neji stared at his long hated uncle, at his hand now trembling as it protruded timidly towards the biggest scar, the one just underneath his ribcage. Neji gave a small nod and felt his uncle's cool fingers land on the rugged skin. It occurred to him that he'd never touched his own scars, so absentmindedly he ran his own thumb in circles over a smaller scar on the other side of his chest, the texture was rough, all bumps and lumps beyond unpleasant , like it wasn't even skin anymore. Neji clenched his jaw disgusted, but his eyes started stinging and in the back of his mind he felt relieved, because perhaps this proved even more then his hammering heart or his flowing pulse, that he was alive. He found himself staring at Hiashi, hot rivers striking down his face unbidden, Hiashi chuckled, he put his hands on either of Neji's cheeks, pulling him slightly lower and gently brushing the tears away. "I'm so glad to have you back."

Hinata that had been standing in the corner this whole time, finally moved forward with a handful of clothes. Neji immediately apologized for being in such a dishevelment but Hinata simply smiled and shook her head, handing him the clothes, "It's nobody's fault."

"But Neji, I don't understand how…?"

"Neither do I, uncle. All I know is that yesterday night I woke up in Konoha's cemetery, it was pouring so I came to the closest house I could find. Coincidentally, it was TenTen's."

* * *

Hiashi and TenTen had come to the agreement that it was better for the moment if Neji stayed at her house, a quieter place than the crowded Hyuga compound. Neji showed up in the kitchen after wearing the clothes he'd been given. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, letting TenTen take in the sight of him. "I wonder if this is what my father looked like when he was my age," his white eyes fixed her intently. TenTen put the plates down and walked to him, her palm briefly rested on his cheek.

"Does it matter?" She nudged at the clothes, clearly borrowed from Hiashi's private stock, "For over ten years I had to ask myself what _you_ would have looked like at this age," she fisted the collar of his kimono until her knuckles turned white, "I realized that I would have taken you any possible way if only I could have you back. And now that I do have you back, you look just like you should to me, you look like Neji." As soon as she spoke, TenTen felt a surge of heat rise from her neck and on impulse she immediately released his fabric, turning away to hide the blush that was spreading too quickly across her face. "I'm sorry," she said, placing her palms flat on the table, "I spoke out of turn, you said nothing wrong." The room fell silent, it seemed forever before the floor finally creaked, TenTen thought Neji was leaving, instead she felt his fingers on her the back of her neck where it joined the hairline, curling around some loose ends.

"You wear them braided now," he stated, noting the style of the hair.

"Yeah," she breathed out, "It was time for a change."

Her cheeks were burning, it didn't help that Neji let his finger slide down the side of her neck, and that she knew he'd heard the little gasp she made when his touch caught her by surprise yet said nothing. She kept her back turned for a few more seconds, trying to concentrate on the smooth surface of the table beneath her palms, on the cool air coming in from the slightly open window. But she found her thoughts kept straying to the small sound of Neji's breathing, the warmth that radiated from his body. She realized he must have been very close and pivoted around on impulse. There he was, a mere hand span away, the edge of the table dag in her lower back, remind TenTen that she had no room to escape. Her eyes raked the sliver of his exposed chest, the elegant slope of his collarbone, the strong line of his jaw. Before TenTen could get a grasp on herself she was already closing her eyes, and standing on the tip of her toes and –

The entrance door suddenly slammed. TenTen jumped back to her feet, looking in the direction of the sound. "Mom, I'm home!" Neji's hand moved from her neck to her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, she met his gaze as if by command.

Neji was gaping at her, "Mom?" He asked.

"Neji…"

"Mom, are you here?"

Neji turned around suddenly and stared at the kid who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, eyes wide with stupor, his lips stammered but no words came out. TenTen took advantage of Neji's momentary confusion to step away from him. "Hey sweetie," she smiled, patting the kid's head, "Go change, dinner's almost ready."

As soon as the kid was gone she tuned back to Neji and looked him straight in the eyes, "He _is_ my child, please don't tell anyone."

Neji pointed an accusatory hand towards her, "TenTen, you have a son?!"

"Don't ask anything. And don't make assumptions," she crossed her arms, reading his thoughts as if were written onto his face, "I'll talk to you about it when I'm ready."


	3. Chapter 3

Neji stirred and sat up in the chill of the morning, the size of the couch allowed for very little movement and he was starting to come down with a sore neck, one of his hands massaged the crumpled muscles below his hairline. "I'm sorry about yesterday, mom. I didn't know you had a guest over," came the murmur from the foyer.

"It's ok, sweetie, don't worry about that."

Neji stood up and went to the door, making sure to remain hidden in the shadows. He wasn't about to go take a look at the kid again, not after all the trouble he went through at dinner, last night, to avoid the sight of his face. He had to stare all night into his soup bowl, TenTen was too embarrassed to chat and he was too mad to initiate a conversation with her, and the kid was just…it had been more than awkward, and extremely angering. The presence of this boy was a thorn in Neji's side that was becoming increasingly painful. Neji leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, quietly waiting for TenTen to wave the kid away to school. _Do not make assumptions_ , she'd said, but it was hard not to make assumptions when she had a son that looked exactly like Lee. No, it was worse than that. He didn't _just_ look like Lee, he also had TenTen's bright smile and her eyes. Neji's fingers worried themselves with the fabric of his sleeves, turning and twisting it inside his fist. It stung that TenTen didn't want to talk about it, it's not like she kept the matter from him entirely because she did promise to explain herself once she was ready, but Neji doubted there would be anything to explain at all. Neji heaved a sigh, _I'm freaking out over nothing. This has nothing to do with me_. He waited for TenTen to head to the kitchen to make breakfast before he slipped out of the house and went to break a good sweat in the yard, hoping to rid himself of some tension.

* * *

He didn't know how long he exercised but he wasn't nearly spent enough by the time TenTen popped out of the door to call him inside. He said he was in great need of a shower and excused himself to avoid eating together in silence again, they would only drown themselves in further embarrassment. One glance at TenTen and she obviously wasn't ready to handle that kind of situation even if she tried really hard to look like she was, and Neji certainly wasn't in the right mood either. When he finally came out of the bathroom however, he found TenTen sitting at the table with the food still intact in her plate and another serving in front of Neji's seat. He suddenly felt guilty for making her wait until her breakfast had gone cold. He looked to the side while pulling the chair, "You should have gone ahead and eat," he whispered.

"It's ok," she replied, promptly taking a bite at an apple, "I wanted to wait for you."

Neji found out that he'd been wrong the whole time, TenTen was more than ready to handle the situation. She was a bit uncomfortable at times, but she chatted easily. She told him that Shikamaru wanted to see them at the cemetery to try and find a logical explanation to Neji's sudden return from death. "Also," she said between one sip of tea and the next, "Should you see Sasuke around, don't kill him. He's good now, married Sakura and has a family with her."

Neji brought the cup to his lips, "From what I remember Sakura's stalker-like determination was hardly something one could resist. She must have exasperated him into coming back." TenTen flashed him a smirk and they both chuckled in rhythm while sipping their tea.

* * *

As planned, Shikamaru met with them at the cemetery, TenTen followed him to Neji's tombstone while Neji was held behind by Naruto. "Neji," he rubbed the back of his head, "I hope you didn't come back from the dead to kill me after I married your cousin."

"Wouldn't dream of it, you've proven to be a good guy."

"Ah," Naruto grinned, "We also have two kids. Hinata really wanted me to bring them along today but you know how kids are, can't keep a secret. I figured you'd like some privacy to adjust to the present situation little by little."

So Naruto had kids too, and Sasuke, and…TenTen. Damn it, he was constantly being reminded of it, his mood had been foul since the moment he woke up and the exercise had done very little to improve it. It was only natural that his friends and acquaintances had moved on with their life during the past thirteen years, he told himself, but as logical as that was he still couldn't help but feeling sad and angry. Naruto's hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked at him suddenly. "It's normal that you feel uncomfortable, don't force yourself, some things take time. And trust me I would have loved to show you my kids if only Hinata hadn't been filling their brains with 'Uncle Neji' and 'Let's visit uncle Neji's tomb' ever since they were born." Naruto let go of his shoulder and took a few steps forward, "I'm afraid it might be a bit much to handle for them, if they meet you so suddenly."

Neji followed him, the notion of having nieces and nephews had left him relatively unfazed, and he wondered for a minute if it would be rude to ask Naruto now, but…his eyes quickly traveled to where TenTen and Shikamaru were crouched, next to his tombstone, analyzing the cracks and the incoherent kanjis that no longer spelled his name against the slate of marble. Neji's lips pressed into a thin line before finally popping open, "What about TenTen?" He blurted out too suddenly. Naruto turned around and stared at him with such a blank face that for a moment Neji thought he had spoken something incomprehensible.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and spread his arms, "What about her?"

Neji stepped forward and kept his voice low, "TenTen, she has -"

"Hey, you two!"

Naruto peeked over Neji's shoulder, "Oh look! Shikamaru's waving for us to come over. Maybe's found something." And he left before Neji could stop him.


	4. Chapter 4

It was probably some kind of stabilization, to fix a dimensional discrepancy. Or so Shikamaru had said at the cemetery. Neji's grave was reduced to a small pile of pebbles, the biggest piece of slate that used to carry his name now sported a big black streak over the kanji, rendering them unreadable. "All the clues lead to the hypothesis that you're most likely alive for good, but to know for sure I'll have to conduct further researches." Neji released the stance and crumbled on his calves, the grass around TenTen's house was high enough to hide him from the view. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, very little of Shikamaru's reasoning made it succesfully into his brain. The means by which he was alive and the fact that he'll probably remain so were of uttermost importance and yet, they seemed to have a ridiculously low priority to him right now. Most of his head was occupied by the trivial matter that TenTen had a son who happened to look exactly like his former best friend, and that in his fit of jealousy he'd almost revealed to Naruto what she distinctly asked him to keep a secret. Someone touched him on the shoulder, a gentle tap.

"Oi, something wrong, Neji?"

Neji looked up from his hands, "Lee."

His old teammate was leaning on his knees, a smile plastered on his face and a hand held out to him. Neji waved it away. "Aren't you surprised to see me?"

"Not really, I've already heard of you from Metal."

"Who-" Neji pinched a strand of grass between his index and thumb and pulled it out, "Ugh. TenTen really named the kid like that?" Oh, how he hated the sound of it. And Lee's face, his silly smile that had always bugged him in the good way now was seriously testing his Patience Fist. He clenched another handful of grass to distract himself.

"Not exactly," Lee said, "I did."

Neji's gaze suddenly snapped up, how could Lee? Surely Lee must have known that he – that TenTen – but that was thirteen years ago, wasn't it? He had died and to an extent, it was his fault, now he must learn to cope with the consequences, even if it meant accepting that others have moved on with their lives. Lee was still bent over, still smiling. Neji's eyes softened. "Can you do me a favor, Neji? Tell TenTen that Metal will be staying over at my house tonight."

Neji nodded, "Of course," did he imagine the slight twitch in Lee's grin?

"It's good to have you back," Lee forcefully shook Neji's hand and soon disappeared down the country road.

 _Tell TenTen…_ Neji activated his byakugan and scanned the house, only to find her in the bathroom, slipping off her towel before entering the tub. Neji immediately regretted using his power rather than just walk inside the house and yell her name. He instantly deactivated his visual prowess and sank back under the grass, but it was too late to forget the gentle slope of TenTen's shoulders, the smooth curve of her spine or the slightly damp texture of her bound hair. _Damn it_ , he swore, cradling his head between the knees. He had just started on his good propositions of accepting other people's life choices and now... How could he let TenTen be with Lee, _with his child_ , now that his senses from the past life had returned completely?

* * *

From the sink in the kitchen TenTen could only peek into the living room with her peripheral vision, she still noticed the weird way that Neji had of avoiding her lately. At first he'd been shocked and perhaps angry to find out about her child, but now he seemed more inclined to simply shy away from her field of vision. TenTen clearly remembered a time when they were sixteen, during a particularly long mission they had taken a rest on a riverbank and Neji had almost cleanly rid himself of all his clothes in front of her and Lee only for the sake of cleaning up. And while he eventually stopped before being completely naked, it was her who threw him a blanket, yelling obscenities and then went to bury her head in a bush to hide the burning redness spreading across her face. This was reason enough for her to believe that if Neji was being _shy,_ and with her of all people, he must have had an ulterior motive.

When she went to clean up the table he was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, he stared into the fire and was so busy pondering that he didn't even notice her moving around. But when she returned to the living room a few minutes later, his eyes instantly found her figure. He stood up and made his way to her in slow, calculated steps never breaking her gaze and for some reason, TenTen stepped backward until her shoulder blades brushed the wall. "How could you do it, TenTen?" He asked, leaning forward, his raven hair spilled over his shoulder reaching down to his waist. TenTen's eyes revisited the slit of his shirt, they followed the pattern of his pectorals, rising up to the edge of his chin and by the time they reached his white pupils TenTen's neck was burning up. She pressed herself back into wall, desperate to let a breath of air slide in the tiny space between her and Neji. "How could you give yourself to Lee? After what we had between us." He spoke, his words warm and moist against her cheek.

"What are you talking about?" She managed. Neji put his hands on either side of her body, palms flat on the surface behind her, "We had nothing between us, we were merely aware of each other's feelings."

"I'm sorry, it's been thirteen years for you, but for me it was just one long night."

"Neji -"

"I still haven't forgotten."

Neji's eyes slid close and his mouth pressed, hot and wet against hers. TenTen went rigid and soft all at once, her knees buckled and failed to sustain her, but Neji's arm readily wrapped around her waist, and she surrendered the last bits of her will to him. Her lips glided under his, her fingers fisted the sides of his shirt, his traditional clothes would have looked ridiculous on anybody else, Hiashi included, but Neji wore them like he was the emperor of great China. Neji slid his tongue against her teeth, TenTen's heart sprinted into a race forcing her eyes open wide, her vision was blurred and she realized the tears pooling on her lashes. Neji's breath fluttered against her cheek, she found him looking at her and a second later he was gone. He stood a few feet from her, turned away from her face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come between you and Lee now. I've been gone far too long to complain, I have no right to these feelings, especially since you two have a kid."

TenTen swallowed the lump in her throat and lurched forward, her hand clutched Neji's forearm. He pivoted around slowly, almost afraid that seeing her would make him push her against the wall and kiss her again. "Neji," she said when their eyes met, "The kid is yours."

He jerked backward and breathed, "What?"

TenTen squeezed her eyes closed, drew a big breath and opened them again, "The kid is yours."


	5. Chapter 5

"The kid is yours."

"What?" Neji stumbled backward until the backside of his calf hit the coffee table and he hissed in pain.

TenTen's arms stretched out towards him, "Sit, will you?" She asked tentatively. Neji's body fell limply on the cushions and TenTen settled next to him, hands clutching her knees.

"We never -"

"I will explain," she interrupted. TenTen rubbed a hand on her cheeks to wipe away the drying tears. "After you passed away we had a…situation. Each one of us was captured and trapped in a sort of dream and in mine, you were still alive. I had just saved Konoha and the people were cheering me on, and you were behind me, rubbing my shoulders, telling me that you were safe and sound because of me. I-"

"…You?" Neji prompted.

TenTen took a deep breath, her fist clenched and unclenched, "I told myself _When will I ever have another dream of Neji that feels so real? I should make the best out of it_. So I dragged you to the back of the building, undid my pants, took off yours. Then you pushed me up against the wall and we…did what we did." Her lips curled into a bittersweet smile, "It wasn't very romantic for a first time, really it was just a quickie. When I woke up I genuinely thought it had been just a dream, a few months later I started having symptoms and at the same time I heard Shikamaru's theory that those dreams weren't a work of fantasy but actual different dimensions that we were thrown in temporarily. I took a test and ran to Lee, I was terrified. What was your family going to say? Were they going to take my baby away as soon as he was born? Lee told me not to worry and the next day we left the village on a long, low ranked mission. We stayed in a rural village until I gave birth and then we came back, Lee told everyone that the baby was his and he had it with a woman from he met while we were away, and that I was just helping him raise the child." TenTen turned around to meet Neji's wide eyes and clasped his hand. "Oh Neji, thank goodness he doesn't have the byakugan! I was so worried your family would take him and mark him, I knew how that branding ruined the better part of your life and I didn't want my baby to suffer the same fate. So Lee gave him that stupid haircut and that even stupider nickname, and we hid him under a false identity." TenTen looked away, "You know the rest."

Neji ran a hand through his hair trying to find an order to his thoughts, he cleared his voice, "Does the kid know that I'm his father?"

TenTen shook her head, "No, I never told him his father's identity. As he grows up I feed him a little more information. He's a good kid, he knows that he has to keep it a secret and never asks for more that I tell him."

Neji pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes close, "Well, now that I'm back your little plan flaws. What am I supposed to do? Live with a son that doesn't know who I am?"

"Do you hate the idea of having a child?" TenTen asked, leaning on the couch in Neji's direction and he sighed, looking away from her pleading eyes.

"No, I don't hate it. But until a few days ago I was nineteen, and now I'm suddenly thirty-two and a father. This is not how I envisioned my life to be at all. Back then I had the vague idea that after the war I was going to formally ask you out and of course I would have loved to marry you and have a family in its own time." Neji stared into the fire and failed to notice the way TenTen's gaze dropped to her feet, "It's just happening to fast."

"I've been alive these past thirteen years, and they haven't been fast at all, especially without you."

Neji looked back at TenTen, noticing the tears brimming her eyes again he immediately felt guilty over his words, sure these were his true feeling but he could have put them out a little more gently.

"No one's asking you to be something you don't want to be. Of course I'll take your will into consideration since this situation is mostly my fault."

Neji felt a sudden urge to reach out and trace her chin with his fingertips, TenTen's words got caught in her throat and her lips started quivering. Neji was entranced by her lips and remembered how soft and pliant they had been just a few minutes ago. He didn't want to make TenTen cry or feel faulty, he wanted to make her happy, smiling, but the idea of having a child and the newly discovered taste of her body underneath his palms - the fact that she willingly kissed him back – was just too much for him to process. His thumb wiped away a half dry tear from her cheekbone. "All I'm trying to say is," her mouth moved under his grazing touch, "You're not used to the idea of being a father, but Metal isn't used to the idea of _having_ a father either."

Neji let his hand fall and reclined his head backward, "Please, tell me you didn't really name the kid Metal."

TenTen gathered her knees underneath her and gave him a serious look, "Of course not. I named him _Hizashi_ like your father, I – I thought you would have liked that, if you had been alive."

Neji's hands were suddenly back on her shoulders, they ran up and settled on the nape of her neck, his face was near but TenTen could only see part of it through her half lidded eyes. Damn, she'd been alone for far too long and Metal being at Lee's on this particular night was just terrible, leaving the two of them together alone, on this special night when Neji felt so hormonally straight forward and she had practically no resistance, was the worst idea ever and it was certainly bound to disaster. "Oh good," Neji whispered, half relieved of her answer, "My son can't have a lame name." And before TenTen knew it, he was kissing her again, and her back was flattening against the cushions of her couch.


	6. Chapter 6

TenTen flattened her back against the couch seating, only to arch her spine and shoot up to reach Neji's chest, aching for contact. His lips glided over hers with slightly more pressure, teeth teasing the edges of her mouth. One of Neji's arm slipped in the arc of her back and tightened around her, then he sat on his calves, dragging her in his lap, pressing her closer, pushing every breath of air between them away. TenTen could very easily see them standing up, making love against the wall again, and in every corner of the house on their way to her bed. This time she wouldn't have to rush things, it wouldn't be out of despair. Her hand started a path down his chest, feeling the bare skin in the slit of his shirt first, and then pushing down to his taut stomach, the belt at his waist. Neji caught her wrist and held it up in midair, leaving her mouth at the same moment. "It seems death has made me greedy," he let out a sigh, "I wanted to do this for so – so long." TenTen looked up and found his face, his eyes were simmering in the dim light provided by the dying embers in the fireplace. He reached up to brush his thumb under her lashes and she wondered whether her eyes too were brimming with the same burning desire. She wanted to say something but he let her hand fall from his grasp. Suddenly he was leaning forward, his hair against her cheek, his breath in her ear. "Your son is back," he murmured.

TenTen leaned to side until her earlobe brushed not-so-accidentally against his mouth, he slipped out a surprised gasp at the touch. "He'll go to sleep soon," she whispered, tempting him. But Neji was well above temptation and as much as he enjoyed the thought of coming back to this very couch maybe an hour later, and doing things to TenTen – stripping her naked and finally feel her skin against him, losing his hands in her unbound hair and kiss her until they were both out of breath, surrendering himself to her completely and let her do whatever she liked because he simply couldn't care about a damn thing – he also didn't want to be improper, he cared about TenTen enough to suppress his instinct and act logically. The son fact had yet to sink in and he'd much rather wait until he was sure he could accept it completely instead of acting rash and later regret it. Some things can't be undone, and apparently he'd already spawned one of them.

He took one of TenTen's hands in his and kissed it, he smiled against her fingers, "Another time." The door clicked open and they heard Metal stepping in the house and removing his coat. Neji untangled himself from TenTen and let her get up to go check on her son. He lay back on the couch and listened to their quiet conversation. How TenTen was worried he'd come home late, Metal responding excited that Uncle Lee was taking him fishing in a few days. Neji wondered where he would fit in this situation, would he stand behind TenTen and let her do all the talking? Would he stay up in her place and reprimand his son? Or hug him upon his return? Unlike Metal, Neji did experience having a father, but his father had passed away long before he reached Metal's age. After that Neji had ditched his blood relatives and found a new family in his team, quite the experience but not recommendable. It was only after years of struggles that he was finally able to approach his clan again. Was it going to be the same for Metal when he found out Neji was his father? Would his kid take on hating him like he did to his uncle years prior? Neji wasn't sure Metal really wanted him as a father, but the fact was, he wasn't really sure he wanted a son either.

He cradled his head in his hands and groaned, frustrated at himself. _It takes two to make a baby, Neji_ , he could hear Hinata saying. But the significant difference between them was that she had been able to choose when to turn her life around, while he was denied of that. True, he barely knew the kid, and now that TenTen had confirmed that he wasn't Lee's son, or any other man's son for the matter, the anger was slowly starting to dissipate.

TenTen came back a few minutes later and silently nudged at him to follow her. She led him upstairs, in an empty room where she'd laid out a futon. Neji spied across the hallway, there he could see Metal's legs tucked underneath the covers of his bed. He lay down tentatively, and could still peek inside of the kid's room from his open door. TenTen knelt beside him, "How is it?"

"Better than the couch." Neji's fingers traced the bone of her knee and traveled up her leg. "We have to tell him about me."

"I'm afraid it'll be too much for him if we say it all in one go."

"There's no easy way to tell something like this," his fingers played with the hem of her dress, "But I'd much rather have him know that I'm his father. Right now I feel like I'm stealing that kid's mom away from him, I feel guilty being affectionate with you behind his back."

TenTen heaved a sigh and her shoulders sagged a bit, "I'll think about it, ok?" Then she eyed him knowingly, "In the meantime, please socialize with him. I'm not saying you have to get on his good side but let him feel your presence around."

Neji sat up, his hands sunk among her hair and he kissed her slow and gentle, "Then tomorrow you sleep in."

And the next morning when Metal went down to the kitchen he found Neji setting the table for him, an egg sizzling in the pan and a cup of milk already poured. "Where's mom?"

"She was tired last night. I'll make you breakfast instead." Neji slid the egg in a plate and served it, he observed as Metal took his seat at the table unsure, eyeing him sometimes. Neji cleared his voice, "Do you need me to accompany you to school a way?"

"No," the kid said, grabbing a spoonful of food, "I can go by myself."

Neji leaned back until his hips rested against the counter, gripping the edge in both hands and feeling terribly awkward. This was just like babysitting Hanabi, he was repeating himself, nothing weird about it. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it. He focused on feeling grateful that the kid ate his breakfast without a complaint, until the kid spoke up out of the blue.

"Your name is Neji, isn't it?"

Neji's shoulders relaxed a bit, "What about it?"

"Lee told me everything about you, last night."

Neji's ears suddenly picked up on the apparently innocent tone of Metal's voice and he crossed his arms on his chest, trying to keep a calm façade, "He did? Then, how much do you really know about me?"


	7. Chapter 7

The last night they spent together during the war, before they split up without even saying goodbye because they were sure they would see each other again, their team had made camp inside a cavern. Guy was out keeping watch and Lee had gone hunting for dinner. TenTen sat by the fire, sharpening a blade, one hand reached for the neckline of her shirt and pulled it in an attempt to cool a bit. It was hard not to feel strangely hot when she was left alone with Neji, although it happened quite rarely and she craved for those moments. He knew she liked him and she knew he liked her too and it made it all the more awkward. They had never properly confessed to each other but ever since realizing their feelings they had started being not so subtle about contact. If they sat next to each other they'd lean until their shoulders and legs brushed, if their hands touched by chance they would keep making them encounter and touch again whenever possible, and sometimes Neji would try and sneak his fingers around the stray hair at the nape of her neck. And she would let him. They had never been shy about it, if there was a chance to touch each other they'd take it, to the careful eye they might have looked like more than just affectionate teammates but luckily, not many people around them were careful enough. TenTen let her arm fall slack by her side, she glanced back to spy on Neji and found him surprisingly close. He materialized out of the shadows cast by the flames and sat beside her. His fingers grasped her forearm, they traveled down, brushed the inside of her palm, tangled with her own. TenTen drew a sharp breath, this wasn't like the other touches they'd shared, born out of mistakes and accidents, this was deliberate. The pressure of his hand against hers felt a hundred times heavier, his grip, she realized he was squeezing his fingers around hers. It made her look up at his face, his eyes were wide, his lips tight in a thin line. For the first time the thought hit TenTen that Neji needed reassurance because, foolishly enough, they'd never questioned whether they'd both remain alive past the war, that maybe he was truly scared and that he was feeling the clock ticking on the time they spent together. Her lips parted and she exhaled a bit harder than she meant to. Her fingers instinctively curled around his in turn. Neji leaned forward, his black hair spilled over his shoulder while his other hand cupped her cheek, his thumb briefly brushed her chin. He was so close she could feel his hot breath against her mouth, his nose sliding against hers. TenTen had half closed her eyes when she saw him suddenly moving away. She scrunched her lids and panted, trying to make sense of his shape moving further and further until he'd reached the wall of the cavern where he's rolled out their beds. It took mere seconds before Lee made an entrance all flippant about the dinner he'd gathered, and TenTen understood. She clapped her hands to congratulate Lee, then she looked at Neji, _really_ looked at him. His back faced her, hidden in the shadows of his long kimono sleeves, his fists clenched and unclenched. She couldn't tell if it was a trick of the light but his ears were bright red. She turned around and smiled. _Next time_ , she thought as she went out to find Guy and take up the watch. She didn't know she would never see him again.

* * *

TenTen rolled on her back, scratching her eyes against the sunlight that poured in from the window. _Why am I remembering this now?_ Was it because Neji had finally kissed her the night before? One peck on the lips could affect her so – oh but she had better things to worry about, Neji had asked her to sleep in so that he could have some time alone with their son. She flung the covers aside and got up. TenTen found Neji curled up on her kitchen table. "Everything all right?"

He looked up and smiled, "I think he doesn't like me."

"Impossible," she reached for an apple in the basket on the countertop and sat in Metal's place. His empty plate was still on the table, she pushed it aside to make some space. "Metal is a sweet kid."

Neji chuckled and made his way around the table, "I'm pretty sure he hates me with all his might, he's just smart enough not to show it openly." Neji was close now, he was standing right behind her chair, his hands rested on her shoulders and she was suddenly hyperaware of it. His fingers crawled up into the hair at the nape of her neck, slowly, deliberately. TenTen's hand suddenly let go of the apple, she found herself panting, gasping for air like she was caught in deep waters that threatened to drawn her, while the images of their last night together replayed before her eyes. Suddenly Lee was standing in front of her, the tears streaking his face. _I'm sorry_ , he was saying, _I'm sorry. Neji is –_

"TenTen -" She twisted around and blinked. Neji was shaking her by the shoulders. "TenTen, are you feeling ok?" How long had she blacked out? "Say something!" He prompted.

"I'm…fine," she mumbled, "I…didn't sleep well."

* * *

Metal was just heading home from school when a big crowd in the street caught his attention. It was probably safest to just keep going and ignore it. Mom wasn't fond of crowds, however she didn't strictly tell him to stay away from them. So Metal pushed his way among the people, he wasn't really close to the object of their interest, but he had good view of it. The man Mom invited to stay over at their house had just walked out of the hospital, he carried Mom in his arms, Mom looked at Neji apprehensively. "I told you there was no need for a checkup."

"I'm glad Sakura said it was just stress, but you didn't look fine at all to me."

Mom glanced around and Metal felt the need to hide momentarily. He slipped behind an elder man, cursing himself for doing so. That was his _mom_ that just walked out of the hospital, what could there be wrong if she saw him? He should run to her if anything else. But he felt this unease in his chest, in the way she looked at Neji, at how Neji held her in his arms closer than needed. Metal peeked again after they walked past the old man, stretching his ears to catch every word.

"Are you ok getting this much attention? People are stunned to see you alive." She asked him.

"I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I'll take the roofs in a moment so we avoid the crowd."

Neji jumped, carrying Mom with him and disappearing among the roofs. And Metal ran. He ran on the unpaved road of the countryside as fast as he could, unsure if the rush he felt was to run back home or away from it.


	8. Chapter 8

When he arrived home, Metal started calling his mother frantically. He knew he should have pretended not to know anything but Mom had just came out of the hospital and he couldn't help himself as he kicked his shoes off. "Mom!" He ran to the bedroom. She was sitting propped up against some pillows, one book in her hands and a pile of more laid half crumbled next to her on the mattress.

"Oh, hi sweetie," she looked up and smiled. Her palm patted against the side of the bed, Metal took up the invitation and sat there.

"Are you ok, mom?"

"Yes, I'm completely fine. But Neji insisted I take it easy for one day and he's forcing me to stay in bed."

Metal looked away, how could his mom's eyes light up so much to the point they sparkled when she mentioned this man? The feeling in his chest welled up and grew in size, it felt oppressive, like it was squishing his airways. "Why is he still here?" It slipped it mouth almost by accident, yet once the words were out he didn't regret them. Why was this man staying at their house? Didn't he have a family to go back to? Uncle Lee had told him everything about Neji last night. What a great friend he'd been, how he was so powerful to become legend among the people of Konoha and the other cities too. His last name was Hyuga, the Hyugas had a huge compound in the middle of the city then why didn't he go there instead?

TenTen smiled apologetically, "Because his situation is complicated."

Metal watched his feet dangle from the edge of the bed where he sat, "Complicated that you can't tell me?"

"No, it's -"

"Uncle Lee told me Neji came back from the dead. Wouldn't he be happy to see his family again?"

TenTen bit her lip, "We are - " she sighed, then started again, "Of course he's happy to see his family. He just prefers people to get used to the idea of his return gradually rather than being mobbed in the streets by curious folks."

Metal was sure he didn't imagine the sad note in his mom's voice, he found her eyes, they were always laughing, even now. Metal gave a shrug and cleared his voice, "It's just that you always tell me I'm the man in house. So I was just making sure this Neji is someone we can trust. Gotta keep my mommy safe." TenTen burst into a laugh, Metal saw the darkness wash away from behind her eyes and he laughed too just for her sake.

TenTen's hand found her way in his black hair and mussed them, her cheeks were red and she was a little breathless, "You're right. But I trust Neji, he saved my life plenty of times. There's no reason to worry."

Metal nodded, not trusting his words to come out right. "I'll go make you some tea, Mom."

"There's no need for that." Metal followed the voice and his face turned towards the door where Neji stood, he carried a tray with a steaming cup and some crackers. Neji came forward without being invited and laid the tray next to Mom. Metal cringed at the sight. But then he looked at Mom again, and her eyes were so bright, she was smiling even though she was mad at him for not letting her get out of bed.

"Thanks Neji," she said, then she grasped Metal's hand, "Will you make me tea tonight, sweetie?"

Metal looked down, "Yes, Mom." He stood, he didn't want to leave Neji alone with Mom but the sight of them together made him sick so he headed for the door. Neji was quick on his feet behind him.

"I'll make you dinner tonight, so your mom can rest some more."

"Fine," Metal spat before running to his room. He hated the sound of Neji's voice. He hated how sugar coated it sounded. Why did this man want to make him dinner? He came to their house uninvited in the middle of the night, he unsettled Mom, imposed his presence upon them and now he was trying to kick Metal from his spot taking care of Mom in his place. He didn't care if Neji was a childhood friend of Mom and Uncle Lee, he just wanted him gone.

Metal sat on the floor and cradled his head between his knees, he hated this feeling. The oppressing sensation in his chest had grown even more uncomfortable, it was painful, unbearable. And he hated it. His mom was all he had, his mom and Uncle Lee. But his mom especially was the only person on this earth that shared a blood bond with him, he couldn't afford to lose her. Metal stood and approached his window, past the trees the sky was beginning to darken. He opened the window anyway, he was going to take a stroll. Just a quick stroll, Mom wouldn't even notice he was gone. Metal felt sorry for going behind her back, this was another brick that he loaded onto the guilt he already carried. But he needed to be away for some time, somewhere he could forget about his problems and clear his mind. So he jumped out.

* * *

Neji cursed as he jumped from a tree to the next, his _byakugan_ active to scan the city as far as he could even in the dark. _The damn kid_. He was home before, wasn't he? Why did he have to go missing now? TenTen was worried sick, she almost collapsed again and Neji had to force her to stay in bed. So much for taking a rest and relax! Neji finally saw him in an alley, he wasn't alone so Neji approached cautiously from the roofs. He perched himself on the edge of a balcony overlooking the dark street and looked down. Metal was corned against the brick wall by a couple of kids that looked around his age. "Why don't you go run to your mommy?" Said one, and then he wheezed, mimicking the sound of a baby crying.

"Oh right!" Said another, "You don't have a mom! Weirdo! Maybe when she saw how ugly and stupid you were she ran away."

Metal clenched his jaw and banged a fist on the wall, "Shut up! It's not like that!"

"Yeah, she probably ran away when she saw your dad. That idiot green monster must have raped her to have you born."

Neji bit his lip from his spot on the balcony, kids these days were out of line, insulting people like they were just stating the weather. He profoundly disliked the way the spoke about Lee but Metal surely hated it more. Neji saw him drawing back an arm, charging a fist while the two bullies made a mockery dance just a few feet from Metal, inviting him to hit them. Neji jumped from the balcony, landing between Metal and the bullies before he could hit them. The kids looked up at him taken by surprise, and fear a little bit too. "Go," Neji waved one arm in front of the bullies, "Get out of my sight before I lose my patience, you've already made fools of yourselves enough for one night."

One of them stepped forward, taken by a fit of defiance, "How dare you?" But then his friend tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and beckoned him backward.

"Shut it. He's a Hyuga, I've heard he was so evil that the god of death spit him out and made him return alive."

The bullies stepped away from Neji until they were out of arm's reach, then they looked at Metal behind him, "This isn't over!" One yelled before they both broke into a sprint and disappeared into the night.

Neji turned around to face Metal, he found the kid slumped against the ground, both hands covering his face to hide the tears that streamed down his neck. Neji crossed his arms over his chest, "What are you crying for? Do you know how worried your mom is right now?"

"Why are you here?" Metal said between sobs.

"She was waiting for _your_ tea." Neji sighed, frustrated. Curse this kid, he was handful of problems. "Listen, your mom's already stressed enough. She doesn't need you to go around causing troubles with the other kids."

Metal stood up suddenly, both hands balled into fists, and now his face was exposed. The red cheeks, the streaks of the tears, he bared his teeth to Neji. "Why do you care so much about mom? Who are you – why don't you just leave her alone! Do you love her so much?"

Neji's lips tightened into a thin line, his chest heaved, full of rage. Nothing mattered anymore, the anger he'd felt for the past days had welled up too long and now it gathered at the back of his throat, making is voice deep and cold. "Of course I love her," he stated. He looked away, but taking his eyes off the kid wasn't enough to quell the anger that kept erupting in his mouth, so he spat, "And she loves me too. Or else you wouldn't have been born!"

Metal stared at Neji's back, his jaw slack open. Things instantly made much more sense. There were only two things his mom refused to talk to him about: how babies were born, and his father. The vague answers she gave him about Neji staying over, how despite Neji was her childhood friend and teammate Metal had only learned about him from Uncle Lee after Neji's return from death. All of the pieces started to fit in the final picture. For a moment Metal forgot he was crying.

Neji turned around, he saw Metal staring and closed his eyes, his index finger and thumb pinched the bridge of his nose. What did he just say? He'd let his nerves take over and now he regretted it. Metal walked toward the end of the alley, where it joined with the main street. Neji hurried after him. "Where do you think you're going?"

Metal glanced back at him, "It's none of your business."

"Hey, listen -"

The kid jumped away before Neji could finish, so he followed Metal at a distance but eventually, the kid just went home.


	9. Chapter 9

Metal had fallen asleep in TenTen's arms, he laid curled up against her taking up the other half of her bed. His face was hidden in the crook of her shoulder and her arm came around his waist loosely but sure. Neji watched them from the door, struggling to find a place to fit himself in the picture. That kid fit into his lover's arms so naturally. Neji couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy. What was the point of sacrificing himself for a world that reserved no place for him after yielding him back? He shouldn't have gone to war, he should have just run away with TenTen. Oh – but then the world would have ended. He shook his head and leaned against the doorframe, his eyes closed temporarily. This was stupid. His reasoning was beyond all logic. Maybe love was beyond all logic, and because he was definitively in love he wasn't thinking straight anymore. Neji let out a small sigh, he tried to focus on the small bits of the current situation. He was thirty-two now, what if he had never died? What if things had never gone wrong in the first place? He was thirty-two, in this house, with TenTen sleeping peacefully only a few feet from his reach. Would he crawl into her bed and make a baby with her tonight? Maybe. Neji never really had much of a family so he guessed that in the back of his mind, he'd always wanted to make one for himself. Perhaps if TenTen wanted too, he supposed he would want to do it. Tonight, or a night soon. Neji's eyes opened slowly and the sight in front of him, the reality, felt suddenly like heavy burden had been dropped on his shoulders. He silently made his way to the bathroom.

Neji had never been one to soak for hours so he was quickly out of the bathtub, however, the vapor had fogged the room. Neji stood in front of the mirror, a towel wrapped around his waist, he looked at himself. He did look mostly like he remembered, but this new Neji had shed the last remnants of a boy and fully taken the shape of a man. His skin was a bit less smooth, his jaw a bit more defined. His shoulders had grown taut and he now stood a full head taller than TenTen. But the crucial parts all remained the same, his hair were still long and black, his eyes white like the moon, his power still a legend. And yet his son looked so much different. Metal had TenTen's laughing eyes, but his clothes, his haircut, everything about him reminded of Lee. Maybe it would have been better if Lee had really been Metal's father. Neji always found Lee a little weird but he'd admit now that Lee really had a good attitude with kids. Lee would make a great father. Maybe Neji and Metal just weren't meant to be. Neji groaned, yanked the towel off of his waist, frustrated again and pulled on a night robe than Hiashi had had delivered earlier. He was slowly slipping himself back into the lives of those who knew him, and that too wasn't easy. Neji briefly remembered Naruto telling him about a niece and a nephew he would have loved for Neji to meet. Neji cringed at the thought, not really looking forward to the reunion. His hands were full of kids enough as it was. _Ah crap_. He thought as he laid down on his futon in the spare room TenTen had given him. His arms fell above his head, almost in surrender. Neji stared at the ceiling like he was staring at the stars, and perhaps with his _byakugan_ he was, he was mildly aware of the night slipping by. But that didn't help sleep to take him away from his worries, or from his broken promises, or from the problems he wished so hard to forget.

* * *

TenTen found him lying awake in the morning, his eyes felt bleary, perhaps he did doze off at some point. Her fingers brushed the roots of his bangs, combing the hair away from his face. "I thought you said I was supposed to relax. That you'd take care of everything." She was smiling.

"Ah – right," Neji said, absent mindedly. He was supposed to make breakfast for the kid, part of him was relieved that he ended up dozing off and forgot, it would have been more than awkward after what happened last night. Unbearable, on both sides. "Sorry. Did you…"

"I've woken up Metal on time, fed him and sent him to school already. Don't worry."

TenTen's face glowed in the soft light of the early morning. She was still smiling, her eyes always laughed. Neji thought for the first time that he didn't deserve her, this woman, always so bright and happy. "I've messed up big time, TenTen. I'm so sorry." Neji flattened his palm on his forehead, "I know you said you'd think about it but yesterday, in fit of anger, I blurted out to Metal that I'm his father. Please, forgive me." Neji closed his eyes, breathing deeply, fearful of the silence that stretched between them. He sat up before opening them again, and found that his lips had collided with her cheek. Neji didn't back away. TenTen's eyes fixed a spot on the floor.

"I'm not happy about it."

Neji's lips didn't leave their spot on her face, "I know," he murmured against her cheek, "I'm sorry."

"But I guess it can't be helped."

He was feeling hot all of sudden, the night robe was too tight, too heavy. His mouth made a brief course towards her jaw, grazing the skin underneath, exhaling trails of warm breath against it, "If it helps lessen your grudge, these kids yesterday were making fun of him. They mocked him for not having a mother, called Lee a monster – said bad things about you too. Seemed like it had been going on for a while, the bullying."

"Metal never told me anything," TenTen was looking him in the eyes now, she no longer smiled, nor was she angry.

Neji's index finger traced her jawline, his other hands snaked around her waist to pull her closer, "It's not your fault. Some kids are just plain stupid. Probably Metal never told you about it because he didn't want to worry you."

TenTen rested her head against the bend of his shoulder, "I taught my son differently."

Neji pulled them both back down to lay on the futon, a small revenge against Metal claiming the spot next to her in her bed last night.

TenTen's body easily molded against Neji's frame, "I always recommended that he tell me everything. I'm his mom, I'll always be here for him! Ah -" she sighed, "I guess he's growing up."

Neji gave a gentle squeeze around her chest, "I guess so."

* * *

Neji stood in front of Metal's school, his _byakugan_ active occasionally to spy inside the walls. He wasn't there to pick up his kid like a good parent, he was there to study his enemy. That's what Neji was good at. Studying. Studying difficult situations and finding a way to deal with them. He was supposed to do it in secrecy, but it was hard to go unnoticed after coming back to life, people kept ogling up the branch where he'd crawled so eventually he decided to come down and settle on a bench. People still ogled, someone would sit next to him from time to time and ask him how he was doing. Maybe ask him to shake hands. Thank goodness the street was crowded today. Metal was for the most part a diligent kid, except a few minutes before class ended he stared out of the window. Neji followed his eyes, what was he looking at? There wasn't much in his range of vision. But the Neji saw it, past the trees. Could Metal be looking at his house? TenTen was outside hanging the laundry. Neji's head twisted back to where Metal was sitting. A branch cracked behind him, the sound wear barely discernible from the soft noises that people made in the street, but Neji's back straightened and he became all the more attentive. The black figure hidden in the trees at his back jumped down in the street. TenTen's words flashed through his mind. _Should you see Sasuke around, don't kill him_. Neji deactivated his _byakugan_ , even then he could feel the sneaky glances Sasuke stole at him. There was a rumble of feet, a number of voices grew louder and louder until the school doors finally burst open releasing a flow of kids. One girl came running forward. "Dad!" She yelled. Sasuke took a step in her direction, arms spread open and he was _smiling_ and – _Oh_. Neji couldn't help but twist his head and stare openly. Sasuke squeezed the girl in a hug, she made a choking sound but seemed to laugh her head off the next moment. The view was ironic to say the least. Sasuke was an accomplished ninja and also an accomplished father. And Neji, who in past had claimed up and down that he wanted to defeat Sasuke, was a failure at everything. He never beat Sasuke into a fight, and neither could he get along with one kid. Sasuke caught him staring, their eyes met. Suddenly a noise stole Neji's attention, even without the _byakugan_ he could see it. Those bullies from last night had cornered Metal again, he was flattening against the side of the building, one boy grabbed his backpack and pulled him. Before he knew it, Neji was standing up, making his way to the side of the school.

"I thought I said to get out of my -" Neji started. The boy gripping Metal's backpack yanked the kid forward, his friend tripped him. Neji went tumbling down on his rear. The bullies stared at him stunned.

"We're sorry -" they frantically backed away, "We didn't see you sir."

Neji blinked, looked down, Metal was a jumble of limbs in his arms. _Oh_. Neji thought, Metal stirred, an attempt to regain balance. _Oh_ , he was warm and soft, and so _small_ compared to Neji, he could easily hold the kid without even noticing. His gut trembled for a split second. What a weird sensation. The bullies had run away, Neji was only vaguely aware of them disappearing from the street into the trees. But then again, Metal helped him get back into reality when he looked up. Neji recognized this hate, it was the same way he'd looked at his uncle for many years after his father passed away.

"You – again!" Metal yelled. He stood up, shaking the dirt from his clothes like he had to clean himself of Neji's presence somehow. "I don't want your help! Just leave me alone!"

Neji pointed a finger at him, "You will listen this time, young man -"

"No, you listen."

Neji cursed under his breath, this kid! The nerve he had. Neji noticed the way his eyes shone, he looked on the verge of tear again. For god's sake, this kid was his son and he would listen! "I'm your father. Whether you like it or not you'll do as I say. Now you'll go home and -"

 _Ah, damn it_. What the hell did Neji say wrong this time? Metal's face was streaked by rivers of tears, his fists tight on both sides of his body. "You're not my father," he sobbed, "Where were you when we needed you? Mom and I? You left us alone all these years and now you come back and pretend you care about us."

Neji crossed his arms, "I was dead, you know?"

Metal hastily rubbed his tears away with the back of his hand, "Then maybe you should have stayed that way."

He hurried off, but Neji didn't follow him this time. Instead, Neji sighed. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. He could understand the kid's feelings, he even sympathized with them. It had taken years for Neji to find it within himself to forgive his uncle, would it take years for Metal to forgive Neji? Could Metal actually forgive him in end? Neji regretted dying. He regretted giving up the chance at a future with TenTen, but what could he had done? He did the right thing with his sacrifice. He didn't particularly want this kid, but TenTen would be so happy if he did. And what the hell was the awkward warmth he'd felt when Metal had tumbled in his arms? Ah, he was just so confused. A hand dropped on his shoulder and Neji's head suddenly snapped up. He turned around to find Sasuke standing behind him. The young girl that was with him, his daughter, was nowhere to be seen now. Sasuke nodded up towards a roof above them. "Let's talk a bit."


	10. Chapter 10

They both sat next to each other on the edge of a roof, legs dangling in the void below. Neji's hair flapped in the breeze, Sasuke had leaned back using his hands to support himself. Neji realized with shock that this was the first time he properly talked to Sasuke in forever. He looked at the way his feet playfully swung back and forth, at Sasuke, who was doing the same, and wondered if he ought to say something first. Sasuke cleared his voice, "So…problems with your kid?"

Neji's eyes traced his profile, looking for hints of mischief, "If you know then I'll trust you'll be discreet about this."

Sasuke shrugged and kept on staring ahead, not particularly looking at something, "Of course I know. I can see past illusions, do you think I couldn't see past a haircut and a lame green costume?" His gaze roamed the horizon at leisure, "When TenTen came back from her mission that baby looked just like you. Except for his eyes."

Neji let out a sigh, he looked down at the street, now deserted.

"I'm not here to judge," Sasuke went on, "I'm just here to share my experience. As a father. Are you scared, Neji?"

"It's complicated. Even I don't really know what I feel."

"I know. Before my brother…" Sasuke waved one hand in midair, "Well, before my family was pretty numerous and growing up I always knew I wanted to rebuild it. Not just for the name. I missed having people around."

Neji snorted, he felt the urge to cover his mouth, roll back and laugh. Sasuke shot him a side glance.

"Whatever. It's hard being lonely, you don't know just because even though you hated it, you always had you clan around you. My point anyway, is that I liked the idea of having a family. I was happy to marry Sakura, and even happier when she became pregnant. But one day I started doubting myself. What if the baby was going to become evil like I had been? What if it suffered like I had? What if it became lonely too?"

Neji's heart swelled, slowly adjusting to a place where he felt at ease for once. His feelings were starting to make sense. He wanted a family with TenTen, but he wasn't sure if he wanted Metal. Yes, he would climb into her bed any day, make any number of babies if that's what she wanted.

"By the time Sakura went into delivery I wasn't sure having a baby was the right thing to do anymore. But when I held my daughter for the first time she was so tiny and defenseless," Sasuke chuckled, "She couldn't possibly be evil and she couldn't possibly be lonely because Sakura and I would love her. She reached up one tiny hand and touched right here." Sasuke's finger tapped a spot on the chin, showing it off with pride.

Neji smiled and shook his head, "You've really changed, Sasuke." The misdoings had turned into experience, the fears into wisdom. Neji on the other hand, had remained static. He was boy trapped in the body of a man upon his return, now he was soul wandering between the two, unsure of where to settle.

Sasuke gripped Neji's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before turning to face the breeze, letting it mess up his bangs, "I had to leave for work soon after Sarada was born and when I came back she was all grown up. I missed not being there on the cute moments, Sakura brought her up all by herself and even though she sent me pictures and letters, when I finally found myself in front of my daughter I felt like a stranger. And Sarada was mad, so – so mad. She had convinced herself that I left because I didn't care about her and Sakura."

"And what did you do?" Neji asked.

Sasuke swung his feet back and forth, "I kept on loving them until I proved my point." Sasuke turned his head and Neji found his face, there was a tiny smile playing at the edge of his lips, "Kids are sensitive, if you're insecure, they'll feel insecure. Just be honest about your feelings and your kid will come around." Sasuke patted Neji on the back, "See you, _daddy_ ," he murmured before jumping away.

Neji fell on his back, his hair fanned out in a circle. He laid there until he lost track of time. Of one thing he was sure. He wanted TenTen, he wanted a family where he and TenTen were both part of it, without anything specific planned, there would be time to decide on the details. But most of all Neji realized he wanted the ability to _choose_. Death had yielded him back to a world he didn't know anything about, and perhaps he should embrace that, start over. A clean slate, where the possibilities where endless and he didn't owe to anyone, he was free to set his own course, change his own fate. Neji stood, scratching his neck and then made his way to his compound.

* * *

"Neji, it is such a pleasure to have you visit." Hiashi was excited to the point he fidgeted with the rim of his sleeve without even realizing it. Hinata sat with them too, she had just poured them tea.

"Uncle, I have a request." His fingers went to the bandage he always kept wrapped around his forehead and slowly undid it. "I want my mark removed. I came upon the realization that I must have come back from death for a reason," Neji purposely left out the logical hypothesis that Shikamaru had presented a few days ago, "I will no longer be subdued to my clan, nor will any of my descendants."

Hiashi's cheek twitched, he was so embarrassed, his fingers had stopped making a work out of his sleeve and started nervously starching the back of his hand instead. "Err – Neji…that's a bit…" Hiashi sighed and Neji felt his throb painfully, "Let me think about it, please."

Neji bowed before nearing the door, "Of course."


	11. Chapter 11

"I've been vocal about this plenty of times already, I don't understand you, Father. Are we really discussing this again?" The tea had gone cold in Hinata's cup but she supposed the liquid tasted sour in her mouth for a different reason. Hiashi couldn't even bear to look her in the eyes, his gaze kept straying to the edges of the rooms, like he was pleading her to get out.

"It's difficult," he breathed at last, like it pained him to say so when it really didn't. He was just old and illogically attached to traditions.

"It's not difficult at all, Father," Hinata replied, "Neji saved my life, he saved your life as well and Naruto's. Thus saving all of us. There isn't a single soul in this village who doesn't own their life to Neji. A life for a life is a fair exchange, when you branded him he pledged his life to your service. Now give it back."

"I want Neji to be free, but isn't he already? Do I restrict him on where to live? Do I force him on a job he doesn't like? Hell, it's not even proper that he stays at the house of an unmarried woman but I let him anyway!"

Hinata dropped her cup back into the tray, she stood, taking to her father's desk. "He's is _already_ free," Hiashi furthered his point when she spared him a glance over the shoulder. Then she sat, reached for a pen and a paper and she started writing down the draft of a letter.

"You don't get it, Father," she murmured softly, "It's not his freedom that Neji's asking for."

* * *

Neji's heart fluttered uneasy as he walked his way to TenTen's house in the countryside. He'd met Shikamaru by chance when he left his clan's compound, and the guy let him in a piece of information. Shikamaru's theory affirmed that Neji's return was a time-space discrepancy occurred to balance out an equivalent event. But what could possibly cause dimensional dissonance in the shape and size of a person? Neji knew. And so did Shikamaru even if he pretended to let Neji guess. TenTen brought something back from the dreamlike dimension she was imprisoned in thirteen years ago. Back then the being was too tiny to disrupt the order of time and space, but now, now he was growing up fast and his blood was a call to the place of origin. Yeah, because Metal couldn't exist in this world since this dimension's Neji didn't live long enough to conceive him with TenTen. But in the other dimension Neji and TenTen never made a kid together. And so by machination of some complex mathematical formulas in addition to a great surge of power granted by the lighting during the storm, Neji was brought back to world of the living. He mostly felt like his old self, but he could see parts of him that merged from a different kind of Neji. The playful instinct at the borders of his consciousness, the urge that rushed through him when he kissed TenTen, these and more were dark corners of his mind still left to discover. The boy Neji left behind when he died would have complained, he would have pained himself over this personal lack. The person Neji returned as however was a man, and it was past time he started acting like one. After all, growth is a journey of self-discovery, and since Neji skipped the past thirteen years, it was only fair that he allowed himself the time to catch up now without faulting himself for it.

He found the dishes in the sink when he arrived, at least TenTen took his advice to rest and didn't bother washing them. Neji gave them a quick lathering and rinse before he headed to the bedroom. TenTen was sitting against the pillows, still attempting to cut down the massive pile of books next to her. She was wearing a pair of reading glasses, since when did she start using them, Neji wondered? They looked good on her, he realized leaning against the door frame, which gave away his presence with an awful groan.

Upon noticing him TenTen immediately took off her spectacles and put them away with the book. "Neji," she prompted, "You've been out all this time. I didn't even know if you were coming for dinner or not."

"I'm sorry," he made his way to the side of the bed where she lay and sat on the edge, "I had a few things to do."

"Metal came home crying today, what happened? What did you do?"

Neji scoffed, rubbing his palms over his knees, "What did _I_ do? I only helped him deal with some bullies and then I told him he should listen to his father. And _he_ freaked out."

TenTen grasped his hands, if only to make him stop his nerve-relieving motion, "You just came into his life, Neji. You can't expect him to accept you overnight."

Neji raised an eyebrow and stared at her, "He said I should be dead."

TenTen looked away, her chest heaved a sigh and the corners of her mouth dropped down like hope inside her had suddenly evaporated, "Please, forgive him. I'm sure he didn't mean it -"

Neji's hands encompassed her smaller ones, "TenTen. It doesn't matter what he meant, I'm not angry."

TenTen blinked, "You're not?"

Neji shook his head, "I am renouncing my clan affiliations. In other words, I'm giving up my last name and every right I had as a Hyuga. I went to my uncle today and begged him to remove my sigil but he probably won't oblige, which means I'll want out of the clan. That way my uncle will have no choice but to remove all of my powers and my sigil with them."

TenTen's fingers trembled as the landed on his cheek, barely grazing the surface and yet just that small touch was enough to send Neji's skin to flames. Her lips quivered, and Neji reached out to steady them with the tip of his thumb. TenTen was staring at him with wide eyes, trying to make sense of his words, "Neji, but why?"

He let his thumb travel down the edge of her jaw, feeling the way it transitioned to the smooth of her neck, into the line of her collarbone – man, did he love this woman! - "Because it's the only way I have to protect my son from bearing the mark as well. That branding has to be passed down from one generation to the next but only as long as there's a connection to the clan. It would be illegal to brand someone who isn't connected to the family."

TenTen shook her head, "You're still blood of their blood."

Neji took her wandering fingers and kissed them, "Luckily it's not about the blood, it's about the name. If I refuse it, my children won't bear it either, they'll be like strangers to the clan. My uncle won't be able to touch Metal."

"And they'll just…let you leave?"

"It's my right, as any other member's. Although it's an unpopular choice because when you give up the name you lose any right to the family wealth, access to the compound, decisions inside the clan."

TenTen gave a snort and started laughing, "So you'll just be like a normal person?"

Neji shrugged, his lips stretched into a smirk, "As normal as I can be."

And then they were hugging, and at some point they were kissing too. TenTen's hands tugged the opening of his kimono loose, Neji hooked one arm in the bend of her knee and lowered them against the mattress. TenTen arched awkwardly to lie over the books that still littered her bed, jabbing their corners into her bones. Neji scoffed, "This is going to get uncomfortable," he said, trying to clear out some of them.

"It can't be more uncomfortable than a wall," she replied.

He smiled, his fingers deft and slow, worked the buttons of her nightgown. TenTen's cheeks turned a deep blush color. "You know," she told him when he bent down to kiss the hollow of her neck, "I never made love to anyone except you from that time."

Neji discarded his kimono and fully climbed on the bed, "Neither did I." He stretched above her, his hips gently brushed hers, "I'll make it worth the wait," he breathed against her mouth.

Her teeth caught his lower lip and pulled it, arms enclosed around his neck, her voice was a mere whisper, "Go ahead then."

He did, and neither of them spoke for quite some time.


	12. Chapter 12

The morning was sweet when he stirred next to TenTen. They lay naked next to each other, the sheets loosely crumpled around their bodies, TenTen was facing away from him and using one of his arm as a pillow. Her back was exposed, showing the gentle curve of her spine rising and falling with each breath of her deep slumber, and Neji's fingers found themselves tracing softly over the patterns of the bones. For days he'd been lost in a limbo between his past and a difficult present, but today for the first time he could have a glimpse at the future. Waking up next to TenTen like this, every morning. It was something new, something to look forward to. For the first time it felt like this world was finally giving something back to Neji.

TenTen turned around to lay on her back, she rubbed her eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to get accustomed to the morning light. "Sorry," Neji murmured retracting his wandering hand, "I didn't mean to wake you."

She shook her head in response and smiled. "Mmm," she closed her eyes again, looking thoughtful for a moment but then she bared her teeth and chuckled, "I still don't know if this is just dream or not."

Neji swung his free arm around her waist to pull her nearer, unhappy until he cradled her in his arm like a newborn baby. TenTen looked up to meet his eyes, they were half closed – his fingers wove their way among the brown locks of hair fallen over her shoulder. TenTen's lips parted by surprise. Neji's face was a breath away, he sighed a breathy groan, "I shall clarify that for you then."

* * *

Metal never intend to spy, but he'd woken up early that morning to go fishing with Uncle Lee and he just happened to pass by his mom's room when he heard some rustling. Metal approached the open sliver in the door cautiously. Inside he saw Neji, he was carrying a pile of books in his hands that reached up to his chin and he seemed intent on placing them on a spot on the desk that was tremendously precarious. The rustling continued, Mom was flipping through the covers of the bed to search for books that might have fallen underneath. "Neji are you sure you want to go through with this?" She asked, her voice seemingly worried. Metal stepped away from the sliver and stood with his back against the wall, hidden from view.

"Yes, this -" Neji touched the mark on his forehead "- is something I got because of my father, and it ruined me. I don't want it to be the same with Metal."

"Neji, you're going to give up your family name. You'll lose every right to chance your clan for the better, you'll lose your powers!" Mom had walked up to Neji, she was holding the collar of his kimono to make him look her in the eyes, "What about your career? Your dreams?"

Neji's arms came around her, his head bent until it rested against hers, "This is already a dream."

* * *

Neji felt the urge to stretch his legs but refrained from moving from his crouched position behind the bushes. There was no need to activate the _byakugan_ , he could see Lee and Metal perfectly from the spot where he was hidden. Still, he preferred to be hyper-attentive. Metal and Lee sat by the river talking quietly, their words reached him in the form of soft murmurs. Their fishing equipment was all set, now all they had to do was wait. Neji looked at Lee, then at Metal, from behind they were almost identical twins, height the only detail really telling them apart. Lee stood and excused himself, walking away. Neji's gaze returned to studying Metal. His son. TenTen and him made it together. This was the boy he was giving up every privilege for, Neji supposed part of him was standing here, studying Metal, to decide whether it was really worth going through all that trouble. Suddenly Neji was reminded of the day Metal and fallen into his arms and they had both tumbled on the ground, the image replayed before his eyes several times, bringing back that weird fuzzy feeling he'd felt in his stomach. He was suddenly keenly aware of how small Metal was compared to him, he wasn't a baby anymore but Neji could probably still cradle him and lift him with ease. He'd never held a baby, not even when he babysitted Hanabi, Neji wondered how it would feel.

There was a hand on his shoulder and Neji turned at once, one arm out to parry from instinct. "Lee," he breathed. Lee had found him. Was Metal also aware then? Did he give away his presence somehow –

"Hello," Lee responded with a smile. Neji lowered his guard and stood, he searched for something to say but the words evaded him, so he remained there in silence. Lee nodded towards the trees, where Metal still sat apparently oblivious, "Go on, I'll leave him to you. You can return by fishing equipment tomorrow."

Neji turned around to look at Metal's back, he sighed, shoulders sagging, "Lee, I'm not sure -"

But Lee just gave him a little push on the back, "Go on," he murmured, and Neji heard the rustling of leaves, Lee getting further and further away.

Neji fisted his hands by his side and found the courage to step out of the bushes. He did not take care to be stealthy and Metal immediately jumped when he heard Neji approaching. The kid turned around, and upon seeing Neji he half stepped away, ready to jump on a tree and back home. Neji held out a hand, "Wait! Uncle Lee went home and I wanted to talk to you."

Metal took a stance and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Neji right in the eyes. And then Neji finally saw it. The haircut disguised most of it, but if he pictured Metal with longer hair – he did have TenTen's laughing eyes and certainly some of her attitude too – but the rest, the rest was Neji's. The slope of his nose, the edge of his jaw, hell, even the way he stood. If only Metal's eyes were white Neji would be staring into a mirror of himself at that age. This was what Sasuke had seen, and for a moment Neji marveled amused at how ridiculously, no one else ever suspected that this kid was even loosely related to him, how they were all tricked by the disguise that TenTen and Lee put up at the cost of their reputation. One mission, one haircut, it was all it took – but man! Neji wondered how he could have been so stupid to believe this charade even for a minute, this kid _was_ his son.

"So?" Metal prompted, tapping a foot on the ground.

Neji realized he'd been staring for too long, he cleared his voice, "I wanted to apologize for the way I talked to you, I just wanted to help out. I mean, I'm your father and I still think you should listen to me but I wasn't trying to boss you around, I was mostly frustrated at myself," Neji shook his head and took a seat in the spot that Lee left empty, "When I came back from the dead, you were there with TenTen. She brought you up all by herself and did a great job if you ask me. I guess I felt a little jealous that she fared so well even without me, a bit unneeded. I wish I hadn't been dead, I wish I had been there to see you born, to see you grow into the young man you've become. But now that I'm back perhaps I can help, I can catch up -" Neji pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, then released it, his eyes found Metal's face, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm your father and I'll always be here for you, even if you hate me."

Metal seemed to ponder on his words for a moment, he walked towards Neji, sitting beside him by the riverbank. "I don't hate you. I was just angry, not at you, angry in general. I don't think you should have stayed dead, rather I wish you'd been alive this whole time…dad." The word felt foreign to Neji's ears, his stomach flipped, he felt scared and happy at the same time. "I thought I was jealous because you were taking Mom away from me," Metal went on, "But I see now that I was jealous because she was getting all of your attention, deep down I wanted some of it too."

Neji awkwardly raise an arm and brought it around Metal's shoulders, touching them lightly at first, then, seeing how he didn't refuse it, Neji hugged him more firmly. "I'll give you all the attention you require from now on, I promise. I'll take proper care of you," he eyed the equipment laying around, "And I'll teach you how to fish if that's what you want."

"Yeah," Metal sank deeper in Neji's embrace, "But dad, can you also teach me how to hit on girls? And please, tell me how babies are born, mom says I'm too young but I feel I'm the only one my age that still doesn't know."

Neji flipped his head backward and laughed, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd laughed but the sound was a wave of healing chakra being poured into his veins, "All right, all right. Ah – I must teach you about the _byakugan_ too."

Metal raised a suspicious eyebrow, "I don't have it."

"Not in the conventional way, but you do have some power. You can see really far, can't you?" Metal gazed around, as if to test Neji's statement. "That day, just before school ended," Neji said with a careful voice, "You were looking out of the window, you were looking at you mom, right? When I looked with my _byakugan_ she was standing outside the house."

Metal's lips popped open with the sudden realization. Neji met his eyes and smirked, "Just figured out which side of the family your good sight came from?"

Metal smiled, his small hand crawled his way into Neji's larger one, Neji gave it a squeeze. Metal took a glance at the sky, there was still plenty of light, still many hours before the sunset. But it felt like the day was nearing an end, and new one was just around the corner about to begin. Metal stood on his feet and Neji followed him, still holding onto his hand. "Let's go home, dad."


	13. Chapter 13

Upon reaching the gate of the compound Neji halted to fix the obi around his kimono. The news had come unexpected a few days after he'd made peace with Metal. Hinata had sent him a letter announcing that his mark was going to be removed tonight at 8.00 pm. If Hiashi removed his mark willingly it meant that Neji could preserve all of his privileges and his powers. TenTen was so happy she went out and bought him a brand new kimono, it was black, lined with silver threads. "It's going to look stunning with your colors," she'd told him, "It'll bring out your eyes even more."

When TenTen noticed he'd stopped she came back and helped him fix the collar too. Her hand rested above his heart. "You look great, I'm glad I insisted on you wearing it."

Neji rubbed the back of his hand against her cheekbone, "It'll be all right. You'll see."

"I know, I know," TenTen rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm just really happy." Neji saw Hinata approaching them and gently rubbed TenTen's back. She stepped out of his embrace and sniffed, "We'll go ahead, try to find a good spot."

TenTen waved at Hinata and disappeared into the crowd that was slowly assembling in the courtyard of the compound.

Neji bowed, "Thank you, Hinata."

Hinata hastily shook her hands in front of her, "No need, no need. It was a stupid tradition to begin with and I sensed you wanted to protect potential…descendants. So I pressured the elders a bit. They accepted in exchange for me being the clan leader for the next five years," Hinata shrugged, "I still don't get what they see in me."

"This, probably," Neji answered, "You're compassionate."

Hinata laughed, "They don't know what they're in for."

Neji looked behind her, where Naruto was playing with a boy and a little girl, "Are those my niece and nephew?" He asked.

Hinata giggled, "Yes, they can't wait to meet you. Although I have to warn you, they're a bit of a handful."

"I know something about that," he said softly, "I have a son with TenTen."

Hinata elbowed him in the side, "Cooking up? You wasted no time since your return," she smirked.

Neji shook his head, "No, I've had it thirteen years ago."

Hinata's mouth fell open in an o-shape but for a long moment no sound came out, "Oh -" she managed at last, Neji's gaze led her to the spot where TenTen and Metal were standing, awaiting to witness the removal ceremony. "Oh! I see now – it's the haircut that distracted me before – I see, so …"

"When TenTen and I had him, the circumstances were…complicated," Neji patted his hand on her forearm, "Thank you for being understanding."

Hinata nodded, "Father's going to remove your mark personally. Do not bow in front of him," she winked.

Neji didn't watch her walking away, taking her place amongst the important personalities of the clan. Rather he looked at the crowd, it split in two, leaving a wide passage for him to walk. He made his way to the altar amidst soft whispers and a few timid cheers, a mark removal was no joke and four elders had to set up a protective _jutsu_ around it in case something went wrong. They didn't smile, none of them congratulated him, they stood impassive, bared of any emotion as if this was just another job to them. This was a night of change for them too, earning the loyalty of a clan from action rather than a mark was going to require a great effort, but Neji didn't care for their unhappiness. There were his friends on the sidelines, not one was missing, there were his teachers looking out for him even now, each comrade, each person who remotely knew Neji was attending, and the sheer admiration in their eyes was enough to pull Neji toward the altar. His robe swished behind him at every step he took forward. TenTen was right about the kimono, it was the right occasion to wear it. Neji stepped into the protective _jutsu_ , Hiashi was standing in front of him, the four elders surrounded them both. Neji's gaze flickered to the side and found TenTen and Metal hugged to each other, looking at him. TenTen's eyes were glossy, inside there were years and years of hope. Neji looked back down at his feet, then up at Hiashi's face. He stood a little straighter and even smiled, and that night Hiashi set him free of his curse.

* * *

 _5 years later_

Metal's fishing skill had considerably improved in the past five years, but how could be explained that his father's bucket was so much fuller of fishes? "You said you'd teach me how to fish, it's clearly not working," Metal complained.

His father chuckled, pouring the bucked back into the river to free the carps, "I did teach you, I just conveniently forgot to mention a few tricks I have up my sleeve."

"Daddy -"

"Mmm, what's up Akarin?"

Akari sat between them, pulling a few more strands of their father's hair. She'd made three braids already. Neji looked ridiculous.

"Daddy, I'm making another braid," she stated and Neji mumbled in response.

Metal watched as his sister started to work on Neji's long hair again, then he twisted his mouth, "Dad, I'm never growing my hair like yours."

Neji laughed, accidentally disrupting some of Akari's work. Metal laughed too, then he picked up his bucket and freed the fishes, he went back to sit next to his father. "Will you come see me off when I leave for the mission tomorrow morning?"

Neji's hand reached his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, he nodded, "I always do."

* * *

Neji checked the lock on the door and turned off the lights in the living room before heading to bed. He passed the fireplace and his hand absently ran along the mantle. It had been filled with pictures ever since he came back to life, the one at the temple when he and TenTen got married five years ago, Metal holding out his diploma, TenTen hugging her swollen belly when she was pregnant with Akari. Even Uncle Lee when he first held the newborn baby niece. Then, at the very end of the shelf there was the first picture they ever put up there, the one with Neji in his black and silver kimono, his forehead freed of the bandage and clear of the mark. With hindsight, it had been a smart decision since Akari was born with _byakugan_.

Neji walked into the bedroom, TenTen was already tucked in, intent on reading a book. She looked up when she heard him enter and motioned with her fingers towards her hair. "You forgot one," she smiled. Neji reached up and felt the knitting of a braid that had escaped his undoing. He pulled the strands out gently and settled in next to her.

Neji groaned, "I can't wait for this braid phase to be over. Will you put the book away and cuddle with me? I need consolation."

TenTen elbowed him and laughed, but she did put the book away. She flipped herself around and rested her face against Neji's chest, "Would you rather her be in her boyfriend phase?"

"No." He answered straight up, adjusting his arm around her, "All things considered, I love braids."

TenTen laughed again, her palm playfully patted on his abdomen. Her chuckles slowly died away and the room grew quiet for a moment.

"Do you want to make another one?" Neji blurted out.

TenTen bent her head so she could see his face, "You want another baby?" Neji remained silent, picturing how it would be to have another little Hyuga running around, perhaps braiding his hair too, "Well," TenTen shrugged, "The house is big…"

Neji cupped her cheek in his hand and gave her a peck on the lips, "I have this idea from time to time. I'm just throwing it out there."

TenTen settled back down into the hollow of his shoulder, her eyes closed, "It's an enticing possibility."

 _Yes, it is_ , Neji thought as his eyes slid close as well, everything now was a possibility, actually, infinite combinations of them. All he had to do was choose. But he had no mark to restrain him now, no war to rush him and no death to counter. On the opposite, he had time. And he would take it, day after day he would choose what to make of himself, in freedom. In time.


End file.
